Manchester United Beat Real Madrid To The Signing Of Leny Yoro
Manchester United are currently finalising a deal for Leny Yoro, with the French defender completing his medical yesterday. The 18-year-old, described by Real Madrid as the Kylian Mbappe of defenders, chose United on Tuesday night, with the Manchester club showing the most intent when it came to landing him from Lille. Real’s aura stopped flickering for a brief moment, and INEOS swooped in to land a killer blow and seal the deal.
Real were adamant throughout the proceedings that they would not pay close to the reported £52 million United agreed with Lille last week. The Spanish club had a simple message for Yoro, which was to wait for us until the end of the window or join us for free next season. United saw an opportunity within the situation and have called the bluff of the European Champions, proving for once that they can’t always get their own way.
Leny Yoro: The Manchester Job
It’s a blow for Madrid, as they felt Yoro would be part of the squad for next season, even sanctioning the sale of Rafa Marin to Napoli with the belief that the 18-year-old would join the team this summer. Liverpool had significant interest in Yoro, but they were informed he would not be joining any other club but Madrid. The side from Old Trafford were clever during this entire saga, and to suggest otherwise would be disingenuous.
INEOS have been clear and concise with their signings so far, with Joshua Zirkzee and Yoro already through the door by the 18th of July. This summer represents a different feel from previous windows, when the club felt like they were throwing money aimlessly at a wall, and praying it would stick. The arrival’s of Dan Ashworth, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox mean that for the first time in over a decade, United have true football people in the building, capable and experienced enough to make important decisions.
Yoro will sign a five year deal at the club, with the option of a further year. Many have suggested the player is using United as a stepping stone to sign for Madrid, but even if that is the case, they are likely to double the money they’ve spent by selling the player to Los Blancos in the future. Profit on a transfer is not something the club has managed well in recent seasons, and if Yoro proves to be a success, the Reds are likely to net around £100 million+ for him if the time comes.
Briefs from Spain today have suggested Lille threatened to drop Leny Yoro for the entirety of next season if he did not sign for Manchester United, but there is unlikely to be any truth to those suggestions. Olivier Letang of course preferred the player join the English club, but to suggest the club were forcing him to join United is extremely unfair, and feels like a brief from the Madrid side to save face.
Sir Dave Brailsford watched Yoro’s debut against OGC Nice when he was just 16-years-old. Subsequently. Yoro’s final appearance was also against the INEOS owned club. He is expected to be part of the squad that goes to America next week, as Lille asked that he not be part of the French squad at the Olympics. The Reds are still open to bringing in another defender this summer, with Matthijs De Ligt the most likely candidate at this stage. Sales will need to be made first, however, with Victor Lindelof fully expected to leave the club in the coming weeks.
Yoro represents a change of guard behind the scenes at the club, and if he’s performing to the potential everyone in the game has clearly seen he has over the last 12 months, it could lead to a change of guard when it comes to the dominance of English football.
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